Valparaiso University
earned its first win ever in Horizon League Championship play on Sunday
afternoon behind two goals by Jackie
Kondratko (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.) as the third-seeded Crusaders defeated
sixth-seeded Green Bay
2-0 in the quarterfinals at Brown Field.

The victory, Valpo’s sixth
straight, was the fifth in a row by a 2-0 margin.

“We’re excited to get the win
today,” head coach John Marovich
said after the match. “We’ve traveled a
great journey of ups and downs this season.

Kondratko wasted little time
putting Valpo on the scoreboard, finding the back of the net with a blast from
15 yards out on the right side. Luisa Desario (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett
H.S.) drew the assist on the goal, which Kondratko sent high above Maddie
Drusch just 9:57 into the contest.

The senior added her seventh
goal of the season with 12:37 remaining to give the Crusaders insurance scoring
to the far post from the right side. Her
two tallies give her 13 for her career and 33 career points, seventh most in
school history in each category. Her six
match-winning goals now rank sixth all-time for the Brown and Gold as well.

“Jackie is an outstanding
individual and a tremendous leader,” Marovich said. “In big games seniors and leaders step up and
that’s what she did today.”

Valpo outshot the Phoenix 20-7 for the
match, including 12-3 over the final 45 minutes. Drusch was forced to make six saves for Green Bay (4-11-3) while Mele Cabral (Boulder,
Colo./Fairview H.S.) registered
her fifth straight shutout without making a save. Cabral has tied Erin Murray’s (2004-2007)
school record for 20 career clean sheets.

“We had a great effort by all
three thirds of the field,” Marovich concluded.
“Everyone made a difference today.”

With the victory, Valparaiso (10-8-1) will advance to Friday’s semifinals to
battle second-seeded Wright StateMilwaukee, Wis. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. with the action
carried live on WVUR (95.1-FM, Valparaiso)
and online at www.valpoathletics.com. (11-6-2) in

Match Notes: Green
Bay leads the all-time series 8-3-1 but Valpo is 3-0-1 in the last four
meetings, sweeping this year’s two contests … top seeded Milwaukee will face
fourth-seeded Loyola in the second semifinal on Friday … Cabral’s shutout was
her eighth of the season … Kondratko’s seven goals are tied for seventh on the
single season charts while her 18 points rank her in seventh as well … this is
Valpo’s sixth straight 10-win season … Valpo is 3-1 in matches at Brown Field …
Jessie White (Buffalo Grove,
Ill./Buffalo Grove H.S.) played in her 76th career match, moving
into a tie for seventh all-time at Valpo.